BEIJING -- China announced sanctions on six U.S. companies on Thursday as frictions continue to escalate in the countries’ trade relations despite a highly anticipated meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Three U.S. companies have been added to China’s “unreliable entity list,” effectively banning them from trade with China, according to a statement by the Commerce Ministry. The ministry said the companies have “engaged in so-called military-technical cooperation with Taiwan, severely undermining China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests.” The companies are unmanned vehicle maker Saronic Technologies, satellite technology company Aerkomm and subsea engineering firm Oceaneering International. China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a brea

See Full Page